DALLAS — Max Tsyplakov didn’t take a rookie turn before his NHL debut Thursday night, and he didn’t look much like a rookie once the game started, either.
The 26-year-old had impressed throughout the preseason after arriving from the KHL, but the question of how quickly he would adapt to the NHL game remained looming ahead of opening night.
Tsyplakov responded by scoring a goal, dishing out six hits, skating more minutes than any Islanders forward other than Mathew Barzal and playing a solid game overall as the Isles lost 5-4 against Utah HC.
There were plenty of reasons to be concerned about this game, in which neither special teams unit impressed and in which the Islanders looked disconnected for long stretches at five-on-five.
Tsyplakov, however, seemed to become more comfortable with his teammates as the night went on and could count this evening as a success, a vital positive for the Islanders, who are counting on him to be a key contributor in the immediate future.
“I try to fight, I get a lot of hits,” Tsyplakov said. “And I feel good. Everything is fine.
Tsyplakov’s off-the-run goal, which gave the Islanders a 4-3 lead with 2:07 to play, was poised to be the highlight of the game, for a full minute.
Instead, the Islanders promptly gave up the tying goal to Josh Doan and lost in overtime, relegating what would have been a game-winning goal from their rookie to an afterthought amid the rubble.
Yet the goal itself was a play that showed Tsyplakov’s maturity, as he dropped behind the rush to take the feed from Brock Nelson before displaying a quick release in beating Connor Ingram.
“We saw him sometimes go into the zone, back up, look for the third man,” Anthony Duclair said. “Making these little plays where it feels like he’s played in the NHL before. I’m looking forward to a very good season from him.
Tsyplakov has been among the most impressive players throughout camp and the preseason, working his way onto the second line after Roy moved him lower in the lineup early in camp.
It was further proof that he belongs there and that Tsyplakov is truly a rookie in name only – with years of professional experience in Russia serving as a valuable foundation.
The Islanders are banking heavily on Tsyplakov’s ability to remain on the second line alongside Nelson and Kyle Palmieri in a left wing position that saw a number of unsatisfactory options during the second half of last season.
Pierre Engvall, the player who spent the most time there in 2023-24, is currently in the AHL, having failed to make the team out of camp.
No one expects perfection right away from Tsyplakov and there were moments Thursday – particularly a long pass in the defensive zone that ultimately led to Barrett Hayton’s second-period goal – where the trio struggled to get on the same page coming out of the match. area.
Overall, however, everyone was happy with the unit’s beginnings, and particularly with the way Tsyplakov performed.
“I thought he had a good game,” said coach Patrick Roy. “I was happy to see him score that goal. He was really good. He played the same way he did in the last two exhibition games. I played with this balance. Overall, I was very happy.
On a night where the result brimmed with unsettling familiarity, this was something different – and in a good way.
“I think we’ve all seen it since pre-season and even tonight, the way [Tsyplakov] slows down reading. He has a very good hockey IQ,” declared Jean-Gabriel Pageau. “You see him make a lot of good plays tonight with the puck and without the puck, some good reads. So he played a big role in why we got a point tonight.
